Chrissy flinches and nods.
Finished with her, Tammy turns to the door. When she sees Scott lingering, she demands, “Please tell me you didn’t wear that during the interviews.”
The guilty look on Scott’s face says it all.
She snaps at him to hurry up and then growls into her headset, “Who interviewed Scott, and how did they fail to notice he’s in stripes?” She pauses and then answers, “No, we have to completely refilm…”
Thankfully, she strides into the kitchen as she finishes her conversation. Waiting for the filming to begin is nerve-racking enough without her hovering over us, ready to pounce.
“She’s terrifying,” Sadie whispers, and I must agree. Tammy’s intense.
But the room might be worse. Everyone stares at me,speculating.
“All right, everyone!” an overly bright woman with blond hair says as she steps into the dining hall where we’re all waiting. Paula’s another producer, not as senior as Tammy. It’s like they’re playing good cop/bad cop because she’s all sunshine and smiles. “Just like in elementary school, we’re going to form a single-file line. When I call your name, please stand in front of me.”
Jessica and Anne, the pretty cousins from Tennessee, go in first. They’re followed by Charlie and Susan. Two more pairs go, and then Paula calls for Sadie and me.
When Misty and Scott are called, Misty panics. “Tammy told him to change his shirt. He’s not back?—”
Scott runs into the room, rolling up the sleeves of a light-blue button-up shirt that looks miserable to bake in. Misty sags with relief, and then they take their places.
Soon we’re all in a row, and Paula continues with her instructions. “Here’s how this is going to work. You will walk into the kitchen,” she says and then points to her mouth, “and you’re all going tosmile. We are happy to be here! This is exciting! You’re in HBN’s Christmas Cookie Bake-Off!”
Her excitement is nauseating.
“Jessica, there is a red X on the floor. Once you reach it, please stop—do not look at the X. Look at the judges. Andsmile.”
We nod, and Cole rolls his eyes at his brother. When he sees I caught him, he grins and raises his eyebrows, challenging me to tattle on him.
I laugh under my breath and turn back to Paula.
“Are we ready?” she chirps.
Without waiting to see if we are, she turns on her heel and leads us toward the door leading into the kitchen. Before sheenters, she stands to the side and motions us forward, using her hands like an over-eager stewardess.
I take a deep breath right before I walk into the kitchen. I paste a smile on my face that I believe looks genuine and focus on not tripping. Ahead of us, Jessica stops and turns toward the judges. We all follow suit, and I find myself staring at Mason. Alexandra, Peter, and Jonathan are with him, but I can’t keep my eyes off the man whose room I was in until the wee hours of the morning.
There are seven cameras dispersed throughout the kitchen, and he smiles for them like the pro he is. It’s a knee-weakening smile. The kind that hits you in the gut and steals your breath. His eyes flicker over all of us, but they spark when they catch mine. It makes me want to glance around to see if anyone else noticed that the room temperature just went up twenty degrees.
But they all appear to be oblivious.
“Cut!” Tammy claps, disgruntled. “Jessica! You looked at the X when you entered. You must not look down.”
Jessica’s cheeks turn pink. In her thick southern accent, she asks, “But how else am I supposed to know where the X is?”
Tammy rolls her eyes. “Look around. Do you see where you’re standing right now?”
Looking as if she’s not sure if it’s a trick question, Jessica slowly nods. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Then stop there. Again!”
We end up walking in five times. It’s insane. The second time, Eugene sneezed. The third, Catherine stumbled. The fourth, Jessica looked at that darn Xagain.
The fifth time is the charm, however, because Tammy allows us to get on with it. No wonder we started at nine in the morning. If we stop and start this many times, it will take all day to film the show. Not to mention how long it will take the crew to do the edits and then put it up tonight so the viewers can vote.
Mason formally introduces us to the judges on camera, though we technically met all of them, except for Jonathan, for the first time last night. As he finishes up the welcome and reminds us what’s at stake, I scan the ingredients piled on the table. Twelve holiday baskets hold jars of molasses and all kinds of spices.
Mason steps forward, his eyes bright. He talks a bit more, making nice with the cameras, and then he motions toward the stand of baskets. “You have two hours to create three different cookies that showcase the holiday flavors of molasses and ginger. Remember, the viewers will be judging you on your presentation, so make them festive.”
